DURHAM, N.C. – Senior
Henrique Cunha tied Doug Root’s school record of 121 career doubles victories,
as the fifth-ranked Duke men’s tennis team swept Elon Saturday inside Sheffield
Indoor Tennis Center, 9-0. The Blue Devils moved to 2-0 on the season with the
dual match win.

“I was really happy with the way we played today;
top-to-bottom looked really good,” said head coach Ramsey Smith. “We started
off strong in doubles. I thought Cunha and Rafa [Hemmeler] played one of their
better matches against a really good No. 1 team. That set the tone for both of
them in singles. Overall, I was just really pleased with how things went in the
first home match.”

After falling to Cameron Silverman in a three set match in
the fall, Cunha, the 11th-ranked player in the Intercollegiate Tennis rankings,
gained revenge in the No. 1 singles position by topping Silverman Saturday,
6-2, 6-3. The Duke senior rallied in the second set of the match and won six
consecutive games after initially falling behind a break, 3-0, to clinch the
match for the team.

Sophomore Raphael Hemmeler posted the first singles point of
the day after recording an impressive, 6-0, 6-0 win over Juan Madrid at the No.
6 spot. Freshman Michael Redlicki continued his strong start to his first
spring season, defeating Robert Lindgren, 6-0, 6-3, on court three. Junior
Chris Mengel, the 43rd-ranked player in the rankings, overwhelmed Brian
Kowalski, 6-1, 6-1, on court four, before sophomore Jason Tahir earned a 6-4,
6-4 decision over Jordan Kaufman in the No. 5 singles match.

Junior Fred Saba played in the lone match of the day that
went to a third set, eventually pulling away from No. 121 Stefan Fortmann by
winning four of the final five games in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision in the No. 2
singles contest.

In doubles, the top-ranked pair of Cunha and Hemmeler earned
their 11th consecutive victory dating back to the fall, defeating No. 22
Silverman and Fortmann, 8-2, in the No. 1 position. Cunha will have the
opportunity to break Root’s record when the Blue Devils host Charlotte at 1
p.m. in the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. On court two, Redlicki and Tahir,
the 39th-ranked pair in the ITA rankings, clinched the doubles point for the
Blue Devils, defeating Kaufman and Kowalski, 8-2. Saba and Mengel completed the
sweep for the team, downing Lindgren and Madrid, 8-5.

Live video and live stats will be available for Sunday’s
match against Charlotte beginning at 1 p.m. Fans can also follow Duke men’s
tennis on twitter (@Duke_MTEN).